Online Engineering 2025-2026

SCQF 6 Physics Access Course (Engineering) is designed for widening access students, enabling them to meet subject gaps and providing with knowledge and understanding of Physics needed for Engineers.

This course is part of the National Bridging Programme and is an access course which may also be used by the School of Engineering, and Department of Physics if necessary, in the student recruitment cycle.

This course covers both continuous-time and discrete-time (Digital) state-space control of linear systems. It then extends these concepts to nonlinear system modelling and control.

Hydrocarbon fires and explosions produce extreme loading on engineering components. Structural steels lose their strength and stiffness well below the temperatures associated with hydrocarbon fires. Safety-critical elements must be designed to withstand both these temperatures and the blast overpressures that result from hydrocarbon explosions. Simple models are used to assess the loading that results from fires and explosions. Structural elements are analysed to illustrate the design procedures that are required to prevent escalation and to design against major accident scenarios.

This course provides students with an understanding of the fundamentals of well fluids and reservoir testing and the implications for reservoir characterisation and field development. The theory of reservoir pressure testing is introduced, testing methods examined and some of the standard analysis techniques are explored using both hand calculations and industry standard software.

The course provides an understanding of the flow of hydrocarbon fluids through reservoir rocks and the interplay between the fluid and rock properties and reservoir performance.

This course examines the renewable energy industries involving geothermal and hydro sources including resources, physical principles, technologies, environmental considerations and impact, integration into the grid, commercial development, and future challenges facing the industries.

The course aims to provide understanding of main principles and techniques underpinning computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combining numerical methods with practical experience using appropriate software. The course develops a foundation for understanding, developing and analysing successful simulations of fluid flows applicable to a broad range of applications.

This course provides a detailed understanding of design considerations for components to be used in offshore environments, especially in terms of materials selection, qualification, standards and testing. Reasons for failure and the application of failure analysis in design will be studied. The course will be focussed on offshore steel structures relating to traditional energy applications; however, the fundamental knowledge gained can also be applied to structural integrity assessments in other marine applications including ships, submarines and offshore renewables.This course provides a detailed understanding of design considerations for components to be used in offshore environments, especially in terms of materials selection, qualification, standards and testing. Reasons for failure and the application of failure analysis in design will be studied. The course will be focussed on offshore steel structures relating to traditional energy applications; however, the fundamental knowledge gained can also be applied to structural integrity assessments in other marine applications including ships, submarines and offshore renewables.

This course aims to provide a broad understanding of generation from solar sources, the associated technologies and the main technical challenges.

This course introduces students to the problems of organisational life.  The organizing concept for this course is the re-framing situations  whereby students will learn to understand work / business situations through four lenses (organisational structure, organisational culture, power & politics, and HR).  

This course describes in detail the technologies used to convert biomass into energy. The course covers combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, bioethanol and biodiesel.

The course aims to develop a broad understanding about the basic concepts in electrical engineering and power systems with emphasis on renewable power generation techniques.

To develop a broader understanding of carbon capture, its pipeline transportation, utilization and safe underground storage (CCUS) in the geological formations, in terms of the fundamental concepts, their practical applications and their implementation in the ongoing projects.  

Petrophysics, core analysis and formation evaluation are key disciplines in the oil and gas industry and renewable energy such as geothermal energy. It provides the main source of data on porosity, permeability and fluid saturations in the subsurface.  Petrophysics is a crossroad discipline and petrophysicists work closely with geologists and petroleum engineers in exploration and production.  This course provides essential information about petrophysics and core analysis and formation evaluation to allow petroleum engineers to interact effectively with geoscientists.

This course builds on the re-framing approach to organisational life by considering whether a project manager should be a structural, symbolic, political or HR leader.  The main academic content surrounds theories of leadership, and that of groups and teams, and is designed for students to reflect on their leadership and leadership development.

To provide students with an understanding of the concepts, characteristics and features of common process to convert organic wastes, such as biomass and carbon dioxide, into chemicals and valuable products using sustainable processes and to allow them to develop the skills necessary to model, analyse and design such systems.

The main aim of this course is to provide basic understanding of the fluid flow and transport in subsurface formation. The course also introduces the fundamental transport processes in subsurface systems for oil and gas industry, geothermal energy recovery, geological carbon storage; formulation of mathematical models required to solve a subsurface engineering and evaluating the performance of flow and transport in a subsurface system.

The MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering is developed for undergraduate degree holders in chemical or related engineering to equip them with advanced technical skills and knowledge. Separation and Product Purification is a core course of the program. It aims to provide the knowledge and skills related to the existing and emerging separation and product purification technologies in the context of design, optimization, and operation.

The aim of this course is to provide the students with sufficient breadth and depth of prevalent and conventional and emerging separation techniques used in chemical process industries; a significant emphasis will be given to bio-separations used in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and biomolecules. Other emerging separations in, for example, carbon capture and utilization, environmental protection, etc will be covered.

The need for understanding dynamics in modern structural engineering arises from the fact that structures are often subjected to dynamic loads such as waves, wind, earthquake, blast and impacts. The structural engineer must therefore be able to understand and quantify dynamic loads and their effects. This course reviews the fundamentals of structural dynamics and explains more advanced concepts and methods (including analytical and numerical), as well as their applications to practical design and analysis problems. The theoretical concepts are illustrated by worked examples and numerous tutorial problems and assignments will enable students to gain confidence in their use.

Intelligent Robotics for Energy Infrastructure is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how robotic technologies can be intelligently applied to enhance the design, construction and maintenance of energy infrastructure. The course explores the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence and energy systems, aiming to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to address contemporary challenges in the rapidly evolving energy sector.

This course will give you an overview of subsea oil and gas production systems and offshore renewables, and an appreciation of the infrastructure and facilities that need to be removed when the time arrives for decommissioning.

You’ll be introduced to various aspects of offshore structures and subsea systems, including wind turbines, subsea oil and gas hardware and pipelines, and their associated infrastructure. You’ll also learn how these systems are maintained and monitored.

The course provides an introduction to project management and is aimed at students who expect to be working in a project related environment or are considering a potential move into project management.

The course covers a number of key aspects of project management from the project managers perspective and so whilst it does cover areas such as planning and estimating it is NOT intended to prepare students for such roles.

Students are expected to apply their learning by completing a piece of group project work.

The course covers design, analysis and operation of subsea production and control systems for various field development options and efficient management of subsea facilities. It introduces the technical and engineering challenges of oil and gas production in subsea fields worldwide, including system reliability, environmental impact and technological advancements. Students will learn about subsea infrastructure and control mechanisms essential for reliable subsea field performance.

The course is in two parts, Portfolio Management and Programme Management.

The course teaches the Portfolio Management Process providing students with the knowledge and tools to understand why project selection, strategically aligned to corporate objectives, with the optimum mix of risk v reward is vital for an organisation’s success.

It further teaches all areas of Programme Management which helps an organisation to provide a framework for the co-ordination, management and control of all projects and business as usual activities that deliver benefits or outcomes from change.

The course serves as the entrance to the field of safety and reliability engineering with the introduction of the basic concepts and tools of safety and risk management. Legal frames related to engineering safety are also introduced.

Contents include: Fundamentals of safety engineering; natural and man-made hazards; safety measures; accident and failure statistics; fundamentals of risk management; risk assessment techniques; classical reliability theory; modelling of engineering systems as series and parallel systems; redundancy; fault trees and event trees; availability and maintainability; UK safety legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work Act and its historical, offshore and other regulations.

Course provides a detailed understanding of the techniques used for installation, inspection, and maintenance of subsea systems, including seabed hardware, pipelines and risers, and the implications of such techniques for the design of subsea components and systems.

The module will provide detailed knowledge on various techniques and trends in the installation, inspection and maintenance of subsea equipment, especially pipeline and riser systems and principal components.  It will provide engineers with a sufficiently broad awareness of techniques used throughout offshore operations to give an appreciation and understanding of system limitations and appropriate applications for different subsea environments

Risk assessment, the common tools used for (and the legal requirement associated with) risk assessment are covered. Students will have a thorough understanding on the components of good assessment and management of risks, and be familiar with the basic requirement for HAZID, HAZOP, SIL, QRA and the Safety Case.

This course provides students with an understanding of the engineering science and principles that underpin the drilling of oil and gas well, production technologies, design methodologies, as well as associated safety and environmental considerations.

With growing demand on energy, there is increasing need to maximise the production of oil and gas, especially from depleting reservoirs. This course examines the methods and processes of enhanced recovery of oil and gas and provides students with the knowledge and understanding required to develop, acquire and safely integrate enhanced oil recovery technologies into field development plan and field operations.  

The course aims to develop a broad understanding about the renewable energy legislation and of the relevant aspects of economics and safety.

To provide an understanding of the physical principles, technologies and systems associated with renewable energy generation from wind and marine sources. To provide an understanding of the position of these sources of energy in the current and future global energy requirements and the technical challenges in meeting the future energy demand

This course is aimed at students who wish to develop a detailed understanding of project management and control practices.  Very practical in its focus and assessments, students are introduced to the core elements of project planning and control including the development of detailed project schedules and budgets, the effective planning of project resources, methods for reporting progress, and mechanisms for exerting project control.  This course is delivered as a part time distance learning option.

The students are required to undertake a significant research project in small groups on a topic which will be relevant to industry. Students are expected to submit a group report of approximately 20,000 words.

This module builds on the certificate phase and aims to enhance the students’ understanding and knowledge of the many disciplines that comprise project. 

The students are required to co-ordinate their effort and contributions from each member of their small team. 

The MSc Individual Project is an independent piece of research based on a topic related to a student’s degree programme. Students are encouraged to focus on a problem confronting industry or a related area. The individual project provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate how the in-depth skills and knowledge they have gained during the taught courses can be used to provide solutions to practical problems. The individual project should contain a degree of original research.

This course comprises two elements, Quality Systems and Risk Management. In the Quality Systems element students are introduced to the principles behind modern quality systems, and business process management. Statutory standards are investigated and discussed e.g. ISO9000, EFQM. The roles of statistics and statistical control in both quality and risk are addressed. The risk management element discusses in detail various qualitative techniques commonly used in industry and investigates how quantitative methods can be put into practice. Its importance in the area of project management is discussed in a holistic way, with practical examples of how this works in industry.

The background to the finite element method and its use in various industrial applications is explained in this course. As well as the modelling of linear static and dynamic problems, the modelling of material and geometric non-linearity is an important aspect of the course. Coursework assignments will be based on the student edition of ABAQUS which is supplied with the Course Textbook which students are required to purchase.

Robotics is an essential component of Industry 4.0. The adoption of robots in industries worldwide is on the rise and robotic arms are the most successful robotic platform.

The course introduces students to the analysis and use of robot arms, by exposing them to the theoretical basis of robotics as well as their practical implementation. This course focuses on the kinematics, dynamics and control of robotic arms.

Fundamental and applied aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data science for petroleum engineers. Use of data from sensors, digital twins and other digital domains during seismic data acquisition, drilling, wireline and logging operations, well testing, reservoir surveillance, production and other oil field operations. Students learn how to optimise sustainable subsurface petroleum production using AI and data science tools to realize net-zero energy future.

The course aims to provide the students with sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge about catalysis and its applications to catalyst design and theory and practice of reactor engineering. The course is developed towards undergraduate degree holders in chemical engineering or related disciplines, such as polymer, petroleum, oil and gas, food and materials engineering, and bioengineering, who aspire to gain advanced technical skills and knowledge in the field of chemical and process engineering.

This course provides a detailed overview of oil and gas field development from discovery to abandonment with particular focus on the decisions made prior to first production. The roles of uncertainties, economics considerations, safety and environmental impact on the design choices are explored.

This module is constructed around the project stage gate process which it covers in some depth. It begins with a discussion of project management and what constitutes project success. It then goes on to explore aspects of the project lifecycle including the importance of good framing, Option identification and selection, project execution and finally operation and review.

The course will provide students an overview of the energy transition, opportunities, and key challenges to reach net-zero carbon societies. It will introduce concepts and ideas useful in more advanced courses involving energy systems based on renewable sources. These will include fundamentals of renewable technologies, economic parameters, basic legal regulations, and societal implications of implementing energy transition projects.

This course provides students with knowledge and practical skills required for the analysis, design and detailing of hybrid lightweight steel structures with the aid of digital technology aligned with the modern construction requirements.

The course aims to give students knowledge and understanding of how larger process systems behave and are operated and controlled. Focus is being placed on the stability of feedback control loops and on advanced control strategies aiming at enhancing safety and operability. Specific cases across the safety hierarchy (basic and advanced process control, alarm systems, emergency shutdown and interlocks, etc.) are also discussed.

Offshore production of oil and gas requires transportation of the oil and gas from where it is produced to shipping vessels, storage tanks or refinery.  The transportation is done using pipelines which are installed on the seabed. This course examines the engineering and scientific concepts that underpin the selection of the material and size of such pipelines as well as safe installation and operation. The environmental impact and the role played by the seabed profile are also discussed. Contribution from industry-based practicing engineers is used to inform students of current practices and technologies in subsea pipelines.

There are many challenges during transport of oil and gas through pipelines. These challenges require a real grasp of the fundamentals in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, phase changes, deposition and/or obstruction, erosion and new technologies to ensure a reliable and cost effective provision of oil and gas. Deep water production, heavy oils, high water production, severe slugging, hydrates, sour gases, asphaltenes and waxes make this task even harder. This course will provide a detailed explanation of the topics, a well-balanced set of tutorials with real examples, invited lectures from experienced engineers and flow assurance specific software training.

The course provides students with detailed knowledge of risers systems design considerations. Typical riser systems including flexible, steel catenary, hybrid and top tensioned riser systems are covered. The ocean environmental hydrodynamics and interactions between vessel, mooring and riser systems are also considered.

To gain an understanding of the need to and the efficiency behind conversion of energy form one form to another and in the need to store energy in distinct forms. To understand the reasoning behind energy losses and how they might be minimised or overcome.

The course aims to develop a broad understanding about the challenges and requirements of integrating renewable generators (RE) to grid, how these requirements can be met using converters, and high voltage direct current (HVDC) as a method of connecting RE to AC grids.

The world is full of uncertainties and there is a level of risk in every human activity, including engineering.  Many industries require an engineer to manage significant risks and design for high reliability, such as oil and gas, subsea, nuclear, aviation and large civil projects (e.g. bridges and dams).  To  meet these engineering challenges and make rational decisions in the presence of uncertainty, this course will introduce students to methods and tools used by engineers to analysis risk and reliability.

Human Factors Engineering (HFE) relates to how people interact with engineering systems. Failures in these areas are involved in all major incidents. Candidates explore them as part of this course. First, a review of major accidents will be undertaken to identify how equipment design, individual behaviours, and organisational behaviours contributed. Equipment/system design and the effect it has on individuals' behaviours is explored. Human Error is addressed. Finally, organisational behaviours will be examined. Leading and Lagging indicators are explored and their strengths/weaknesses considered. Candidates have the opportunity to complete practical assessments led by industry practitioners with specialist expertise in HFE.

Decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure is becoming a major issue for the North Sea and other mature basins.  This course provides students with an overview of the stages of shutting down the production process and cleaning of the system and then the possible methods of removal of the structure.

Decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure is becoming a major issue for the North Sea and other mature basins.  This course provides students with an insight into the process used to find the best decommissioning option for a particular installation, taking account of the complex interactions between, cost, technical feasibility, environmental and societal considerations and safety. 

The dissertation is an independent piece of work based on a topic of the students' own choice, offering the student the opportunity of putting their acquired knowledge in to a practical application. Students are encouraged to focus their dissertations on a problem within their own organisations and demonstrate how the project management techniques that they have covered can be put in to practice. The dissertation should contain a degree of original work and demonstrate in-depth the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the MSc programme.

This module aims to introduce the students to the principle roles, functions and the legal obligations of managers.  We will discuss the differences between managing small and large organisations.  In addition, the course discusses the development and the management of the economy of geographical regions (Macro-economics). 

Emphasis will be placed on the leadership and management behaviours and qualities.  Throughout we will refer to topical cases to illustrate the good practices within organisations.

On completion the students should be able to critically analyse the strategy organisations, identify reasons for business failures and develop a business plan for a new venture. 

This course gives an introduction to basic accounting and finance concepts, with particular emphasis on their application to Project Management.

The course addresses three main sets of topics:

·         Financial accounting, financial reporting, and accounts interpretation

·         Management accounting, with particular emphasis on project accounting issues

·         Project appraisal, using discounted cash flows and related techniques

It also considers the relationships between these and the organisational and behavioural context in which they are relevant.

The MSc Individual Project is an independent piece of research based on a topic related to a student’s degree programme. Students are encouraged to focus on a problem confronting industry or a related area. The individual project provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate how the in-depth skills and knowledge they have gained during the taught courses can be used to provide solutions to practical problems. The individual project should contain a degree of original research.

Advanced materials underpin many industry sectors and are viewed as one of the key enabling technologies that can help address environmental, economic and social challenges the society is facing. Lightweight materials such as composites applied to vehicles, structures and devices can help reduce energy consumption and emissions, and increase energy efficiency. The aim of this course is introduce students to the mechanical behaviour of composite materials and the design of structures made of composites.

This course introduces the water cycle and the need for wastewater treatment. Biological wastewater treatment is covered in detail with focus on: activated sludge process for carbon and nitrogen removal and anaerobic digestion. Air pollution control is also covered in detail.  The course focuses on process design based on mass balance, heat balances and kinetics.